Retreating from Social Media to Reduce Stress & The Power of Taking a Break

Going dark on social media seems sometimes like the person doing it is punishing those around them for being a distraction or for disagreeing with what they do. However, it is actually healthy to disconnect every once in a while and allow yourself to fully experience the range of your surroundings without having technology distracting you from the world around you.

To unplug can be a very rehabilitating experience. We are sometimes so consumed by our negative situations that we are unable to focus on the things that matter most to us. When that becomes an issue, one of the best ways to resolve it is to allow ourselves the opportunity to disengage from raining sources without feeling obligated to give more to others than we are able to do comfortably.

Social media can often be a draining experience for us. We are forced to compare our lives to the lives of other people who may have had more opportunities and who have accumulated more wealth. However, studies have proven that there is no faster way to low self esteem than to compare ourselves to other people.

It is a mentally, emotionally, and physically draining experience. We envy those around us even if we try to tell ourselves that we are happy for their success. And in fact, the fastest way to reduce stress can be to actually accept that everybody leads different lives and has different opportunities and try to find some genuine peace in knowing this. If you can do your best to be happy for other people and their successes rather than comparing their lives to the ways you feel you are failing or have failed, then this will reduce a huge burden of stress from your shoulders.

Sometimes, it can also just be refreshing to be away from social media drama. People are constantly putting their opinions out there for the world to see, inviting and sometimes even provoking heated conversations about controversial topics. Politics, religion, and other personal issues can be flaunted and trumpeted, causing major stress for people who are simply hoping to catch up with the people in their lives they may have lost touch with.

We can be reminded of all the things that we wish we had and that we are aspiring toward. It is discouraging at times to find yourself caught in a cycle of wishing for more than what is currently possible, or assuming that other people in your life are better off than you are or may ever be. But that is a trap that is perpetuated by social media, where everybody puts their best faces forward and is selective about the details they put online. Then again, some people put all their dirty laundry out there, and that can be stressful too!

In either case, avoiding social media for a few days can be a great way to recharge and limiting your time on these networks can be a good trick to keep in mind for those days you need to destress and recharge!

Power of Taking a Break

Sometimes life can get overwhelming and we find ourselves overcome by the stresses of knowing all that we have left to do. When we are motivated to make great changes but we find that there is a lot of work to be done, it can cause us to sometimes stall out and freeze. The stress we feel from our lofty goals can be a huge obstacle and actually cause us to stop making progress.

It is almost as if our brains are focusing too much of our processing power in one place and they begin to get burnt out. Especially if we are not breaking our goals down into smaller pieces that are actually more manageable seeming and realistic to accomplish. When we are overloading ourselves with the countless tasks that we need in order to achieve the specific goals we have in mind, then it can actually be counterproductive.

Instead of letting your brain burn itself out, there is power in being able to take a break. Don’t get this confused with giving yourself the excuse to shut down and stop accomplishing anything at all. Rather, acknowledge to yourself that you need to take a time out for some self care and allow yourself the opportunity to relax and recharge for your next project.

Most of us don’t realize just how many different types of stimuli we are attempting to process at any given time. Because of this, it can be easy to fall into bouts of stress that we may not even notice we are dealing with. that is why, if you are beginning to feel a little bit frazzled, you will benefit greatly from taking a little bit of time for yourself.

We are always working on something. Some people even theorize that when we are dreaming, it is the brain’s attempts at problem solving and processing the information we are dealing with during our waking lives. It’s important to allow ourselves chances to relax throughout the day and try not to guilt trip ourselves for needing some down time. Sure, you could be using every single waking second of your day to work toward accomplishing your goals, but ultimately that can cause us to slow down our productivity and reach burn out that much faster.

If you want to maintain a high level of quality to your work, you would benefit from allowing yourself to clear your mind from time to time and enjoy yourself. We all need a chance to refresh our morale and unwind a little bit if we are going to perform at the best of our abilities. Instead of feeling like you are not getting anything done, try to remember that to do things at your highest level, you will benefit greatly from learning how to pace yourself and take the time you need to stop and smell the roses!